When I took Julie Miller‘s class at the NGS conference, Anatomy of a Military Pension, I felt inspired and motivated. I went home that night and ordered the pension files from my three Union soldier ancestors. I took her advice on how to process the files. Starting with the first one that arrived (for my 3d great grandfather, Richard Anderson Jeffries, 1823-1914), I put the papers in the file in chronological order, created citations for each of the 26 documents, scanned the documents into one file and am now in the process of transcribing them.
When Julie told us to transcribe the documents, I remember thinking that sounded like way too much work. I had trouble picturing myself taking the time to do it. But Julie urged us not to skip that step. She said that when we transcribe, we learn things we would learn no other way. So I decided to take her advice. I’m now in the middle of transcribing this pension file. (I’m on document 19 of 26.) It’s what I’ve been doing daily in my 30 x 30 challenge–I find that it takes about 30 minutes to transcribe one document.
I am so glad I’m making effort! Reading and typing the documents word for word means that I’m not just skimming; I’m digesting what the documents say. I’m memorizing important dates and items that appear on every form. (He fought in Co. D, 18th Regiment, Missouri Infantry Volunteers–those words came out of my memory.)
I’ve learned things that I never would have noticed in a simple reading of the file. For example, his first (unfortunately unsuccessful) pension lawyer was a woman. In 1886! It’s also allowed me to really get to know this ancestor. He was a smallish man, 5 feet 8 inches, with dark hair and complexion and blue eyes. I’ve read and internalized in exquisite detail his physical ailments as he’s aged. Each application for an increase in pension is accompanied by a doctor’s report, some of which are quite personal in nature.
The next step, once I’ve finished transcribing, will be abstracting the data and entering it into my Reunion software. The pension file has been really helpful, revealing heretofore unknown-to-me between-census information, like the fact that he lived in the state of Washington for part of the first decade of the 20th century before moving back to Missouri. (Maybe some day I’ll find out how he traveled to and from Washington.)
I have two more ancestors’ files to process–one of them, for G.W. Adams, 1845-1938, has over 100 individual documents (as opposed to the 26 of R.A. Jeffries). It’s going to take me awhile. But, as I know already, there is gold to mine from these amazing pieces of history. And I know that going to the trouble to transcribe will help me mine it even better.
Hi Janine,
I love your blog! Quick question- what are using to record the transcribed information? Microsoft Word? I’m wondering because I recently inherited a date book that my great grandfather wrote a line in every day from 1917-1930. I’d really like to transcribe it to pull out details I’d otherwise miss. Thank you!
Hi, Breanna! I use a Mac, so I’m writing it Mac Pages program, which is similar to Word. The scanned document is a pdf that I read in Preview and I just switch back and forth between the two. Thanks for your kind words!
Thank you Janine!
Janine,
I agree about transcribing. I have a journal started by my grandmother in 1906. In transcribing it and posting to my blog, I’ve learned so much. I long to have a pension file, but have never obtained one. Thank you for this post. My blog with a tab to all my Amaneunsis Monday posts from my grandmother’s journal can be found here if you’re interested.
http://www.michiganfamilytrails.com
Thanks,
Diane
Thanks for your comment, Diane. How wonderful for you that you have your grandmother’s journal! I will definitely check out those posts. Transcribing is worth the effort, isn’t it?
Janine,
I’d like to let you know that your blog post is listed in my Fab Finds post at http://janasgenealogyandfamilyhistory.blogspot.com/2015/08/follow-friday-fab-finds-for-august-28.html
Have a great weekend!
Thanks so much, Jana! I hope you have a good weekend too.
I transcribed my g-g-grandfather’s C.W. pension file a few years ago when it arrived. I didn’t know it was recommended but was glad I did it. It was interesting to trace his illnesses through the years. Thanks for the information about how you documented your pension file and the link to your previous post about this. I appreciate it.
I’d like to order my gg grandfather’s Union pension file. Where do I start? Have you published a “how to request”? Also, to be clear, when you transcribe, are you simply copying the information word for word? Forgive if that’s a silly question! Thanks!
That’s not a silly question at all. Yes, I’m copying the information into a word processing document (I use Pages) word for word. It’s amazing what you pick up when you do that. Then I glean the facts and add them to my genealogy software. (I use Reunion.
Embedded in this post is step-by-step instructions for obtaining a Civil War pension file.
And this is a post I wrote about how I created a source citation and how I processed the information I found in the file.
I hope that’s helpful!
Thank you!
Question. Do you have to find your ancestor in a pension index before you can request records? I have general information from his service records, but can’t find him in any indexes. Thanks! Lorraine